Berry Pavlova

Love delicious and pretty desserts? This Berry Pavlova is one of our favorites, a fun and elegant dessert that you can serve to your guests.

Today I’m super excited to share a Berry Pavlova Recipe that I’m using for a simple brunch or catch-up gathering with a small group of friends. Berry Pavlova is a show-stopper, but a lot easier to make than it looks.

With a side of whipped cream, this is one epic (yet SO EASY!!) dessert! YES, I said easy! You think and see a Pavlova, and you think hard right?

Well, you are thinking wrong, while there are different elements to this recipe, it is actually pretty simple and fun to create and one of our absolute favorite desserts. Think of it as one giant meringue.

Just scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post to see how to easily put it together.

I also love making mini pavlovas from this base recipe. They are absolutely adorable.

Topped with anything you like but we prefer homemade pastry cream and berries. Really, any way you dress this up it is one beautiful pavlova.

Can you just imagine this gorgeous mixed berry pavlova on a lovely serving platter on your spring dessert table? This light dessert needs to make an appearance.

Some of our favorite berry desserts that we have on our site include Berry Sweet Rolls, Berry Cobbler and Berry Danish.

• Completely homemade, you can top this pavlova with anything you’d like.
• The pastry cream is easy to whip up and adds the perfect topping to this dish.
• You can make these into minis if you’d like!

• Large egg whites
• Salt
• Powdered sugar
• Cornstarch
• White vinegar
• Vanilla extract
• Milk
• Granulated sugar 
• Large egg yolks
• Large egg
• Unsalted butter
• Fresh berries
• Strawberries 
• Homemade Whipped cream 
• Mint leaves, optional

FOR THE PAVLOVA

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a pencil, trace a 9-inch circle on a sheet of parchment paper, and turn the paper upside down so the pencil marking is still visible but on the underside of the paper—place on a large baking sheet, and set aside.
2. Add the egg whites and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment (or with a hand mixer in a large bowl). Starting at low speed, gradually increase the speed until glossy soft peaks form.
3. Add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time, scraping the sides as needed.
4. Once all of the powdered sugar is added, whip the egg whites on medium-high speed until glossy stiff peaks form.
5. Add the cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla, and fold in until combined.
6. Turn out the meringue mixture onto the parchment-lined sheet tray. Staying within the lines of the pencil markings, flatten out the meringue and smooth the sides, and add a slight indention in the center with the back of a spoon so that the toppings will stay for the presentation later on.
7. Place into the oven on the middle rack, and immediately reduce the heat to 300°F. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and let the meringue shell cool completely. This can take 6+ hours. I suggest making this the day before.

FOR THE PASTRY CREAM

1. Add the milk and 1/4 cup of sugar to a medium sauce pot, and whisk to combine.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. While heating, in a large bowl, add the egg yolks, whole egg, cornstarch, and remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Whisk until smooth.
3. Once the milk comes to a boil, very slowly drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
4. Add all of the milk to the egg mixture, then transfer everything back into the sauce pot. Over medium heat, bring it back up to a boil, stirring constantly.
5. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Then, stir in the vanilla.
6. Pour into a medium bowl and immediately cover with plastic wrap so the plastic touches the top of the pastry cream, so a skin does not form on top. Place in the fridge until cold.

FOR ASSEMBLY

1. Place cooled pavlova on a cake stand or serving platter. Top the pavlova shell with the pastry cream and berries or fresh fruit of your choice along with fresh mint if desired. You can top with whipped cream, or serve it on the side, this is optional.

CAN THIS BE MADE AHEAD?

Yes, you can make the meringue layer several days before the rest of the Pavlova Recipe.

Once the meringue layer has been created, wrap it tightly in plastic until you’re ready to create the full recipe.

This is something that we do often, especially when we know that we are having guests and will be making this, it saves us time the day of serving.

You can even make the pastry cream ahead of time and keep that refrigerated until ready to serve.

WHAT ELSE CAN I TOP THIS WITH?

Instead of berries, you can top them with any fruit you wish! Some of my other favorite fruit to use are:

• Diced peaches
• Diced Plums
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Kiwi
• Passion Fruit
• Lemon zest

Or, you can go totally crazy and add crushed cookies, chopped candy, chocolate chips, etc. on top!

HOW TO PREVENT CRACKING?

Meringue is known to crack when it cools too quickly. A few cracks here and there are normal, and I think add to the rusticness of this beautiful dessert.

The best way to avoid cracks in your meringue is to let it sit in the oven for a little bit so it can cool down slowly.  This process will help keep your pavlova from cracking too much.

DO I HAVE TO MAKE THE PASTRY CREAM?

Not at all, you can use any sauce on top of this pavlova. Here are some other options:

• Any flavor of pudding
• Homemade lemon curd
• Fresh whipped cream
• Raspberry Sauce
• Chocolate Sauce

Don’t tell me that that slice isn’t calling your name! This Berry Pavlova Recipe is so so good and a classic and elegant recipe that everyone loves. 

If I see Pavlovas at the bakery you know that I’m going to be getting one…or many, but that doesn’t matter, they are my favorite and I can’t turn them down!

While it’s best to make Pavlova no more than one day before you serve, you can keep Pavlova in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days.

It’s never good to refrigerate your Pavlova dessert as it will wilt and get sticky. You want to enjoy a crispy shell.

If you don’t plan on eating this on the first day, I would suggest slicing the pavlova and then just topping each individual slice with pastry cream, berries, etc.

Any leftover pastry cream needs to be refrigerated and will last stored in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

Looking for a deliciously beautiful dessert to have for guests, family, or just because? I highly recommend that you make this Berry Pavlova Recipe!

If you’ve tried this BERRY PAVLOVA RECIPE, let me know how it turned out in the comments! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!